Bogs to be preserved for peat's sake

Peat at three environmentally-sensitive lowland bogs compared to the rainforests of Brazil will be saved for the nation, it was announced today.

The bogs - waterlogged mounds of partially decomposed plant material at sites in Cumbria and South Yorkshire - are harvested to produce garden compost, though they are also home to rare birds and many species of flora and fauna.

Under the deal the government will pay Scotts, the company that owns almost all the peat extraction permits in Britain, £17.3m in compensation to stop peat cutting at the sites at Wedholme Flow, Cumbria, and Thorne Moor, South Yorkshire.

It will also wind down its activities at Hatfield, South Yorkshire, with all harvesting to finished by the autumn 2004.

In return Scotts will repair and restore the bogs under the supervision of English Nature.

Environmental lobbyists have protested for years that peat extraction is destroying the lowland bogs, which attract important populations of wild birds such as nightjars, woodlark, curlew and merlin.

The environment minister, Michael Meacher, described the sites as invaluable part of Britain's natural heritage, saying that a 10,000 year "irreplaceable archive" was locked into the peat.

"This is a very important part of our natural heritage and their character and the wealth of the biodiversity they support has led some to describe them as Britain's rainforests," he said.

UK and Ireland contained some of the largest and best peat bogs in Europe, but within the last 100 years an estimated 94% of Europe's bogs have been lost.

If a peat bog disappears, it is effectively lost forever as they take thousands of years to form.

As part of the campaign to save the bogs, many retailers are now committed to phasing out the sale of products that use peat, including commercially produced garden compost.

But the use of peat among amateur gardeners has rocketed over the past decade, rising by 50% between 1993 and 1997 because of the boom in gardening and the popularity of patio pots and hanging baskets.

Agriculture and tree planting also threatens the bogs' survival.

The National Trust, which is custodian of one of the most important peatland sites in the country, Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, welcomed the decision but its head of gardens, Mike Calman, said the public still needed to be made aware of the environmental impact of using peat.

"We urge the public to consider switching to sustainable alternatives to peat and help save these important habitats," he said.

Nick Kirkbride, managing director of Scotts UK, said: "We are delighted that Scotts and English Nature have been able to find a way to resolve this issue.

"This decision also marks a transition towards new, effective and sustainable growing media, where peat dilutants and peat alternative products will become ever more popular for growing beautiful plants and vegetables."